Together, the three African titles at Cannes 2026 attest to the continent’s growing cinematic presence and continued global recognition…
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
Three African films, Congo Boy by Congolese filmmaker Rafiki Fariala, Strawberries by French-Moroccan filmmaker Laïla Marrakchi, and Ben’imana by Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, have been selected for the official lineup of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
In an official announcement made on Thursday, 9th April, Cannes unveiled its selection of 60 films, including 15 titles in the Un Certain Regard section, a major sidebar of the festival running alongside the main competition. The three African productions are included in this category.
A landmark regional co-production involving two Central African countries, Congo Boy is produced by Makongo Films (Central African Republic) and Kiripifilms (DRC) in collaboration with Unité (France). The film is a semi-autobiographical portrait of writer-director Rafiki Fariala’s life. It follows 17-year-old Robert, a Congolese refugee living in Bangui in the Central African Republic, who struggles to support his siblings through music, amid a violent socio-political crisis.
The project has previously been developed at the Atlas Workshops in Marrakech, Morocco, and the Ouaga Film Lab in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. As Fariala’s second feature, it builds on his growing international profile following his debut, We, Students! (2022), which became the first film from the Central African Republic to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The second African title, Strawberries, originally titled La más dulce, is a Moroccan, French-Spanish-Belgian co-production written by Laïla Marrakchi and Delphine Agut. Navigating the exploitation of Moroccan women working as strawberry pickers in Andalusia, Spain, the film tells the story of Hasna, a young woman who encounters abuse and harassment in the quest for a better life.
It explores themes of resilience, womanhood, solidarity and the fight for justice. With this project, the Casablanca-born Marrakchi returns to Cannes after her previous selection with Marrock (2005) in Un Certain Regard.
For Rwanda, Ben’imana marks a historic milestone as the first ever film by a Rwandan director included in the Cannes official selection. This follows Munyurangabo (2007), a US-Rwandan co-production directed by American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung.
Dusabejambo’s Ben’imana delves into the affairs of a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide rebuilding her life through reconciliation and community healing. Its selection follows recognition at the 2025 Red Sea Souk Awards, where the project received two major honours, including a $40,000 post production grant and a $32,500 Filmmore in-kind award.
Together, the three African titles at Cannes 2026 attest to the continent’s growing cinematic presence and continued global recognition, building on the immediate past edition of the festival which also featured three African titles in Un Certain Regard, namely Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away (Egypt/Sudan/Tunisia), Erige Sehiri’s Promised Sky (Tunisia/France) and Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow (Nigeria/UK).
Cannes 2026 will take place from 12th to 23rd May 2026.